Laptop disaster

I just bought one of the new MacBooks. After a few days I decided it wasn't really right for me so I was going to send it back.

But this morning I spilt an entire glass of orange juice over it.

Not knowing what to do, I rushed to the kitchen and ran it under the tap to clear away the juice and debris (it was juice with pulp in it).

I then dried it as best I could with kitchen paper and it's now in the drying cupboard. There is visible water in the bottom right of the screen, but it does start up and seems to work. It's currently shut down while it dries some more.

If the visible damage on the screen disappears and I just return it to Apple without saying anything, does anyone know for certain if Apple carry out tests on returned items before refunding them?

Can I throw myself on Apple's mercy? I'm not sure if the credit card I used has any kind of temporary accidental damage cover. I have AppleCare which came bundled with the fact that the MacBook was bought from the Apple Store for Education. I don't know if that covers it?

I guess this is one of the risks of using a return policy as a trial period. I agree that your best bet might be Apple Care and then a claim. After that you might be able to sell it for a minimal loss, or you'll have to decide that the MacBook is, in fact, right for you.

Orange juice dries as a sticky mess, which for sure would totally screw up the keyboard. At this point it was a matter of salvage. Rinsing the orange off with water seemed like a better option than gumming the whole thing up with sticky, corrosive juice.

If you have cover - yes!
This is the point of apple care. So all you people moaning if you damage your devices and have cover wont be claiming i take it..?

Actually according to the T&Cs its not covered.
"ii) Damage caused by (a) a product that is not the Covered Equipment (b) accident, abuse, misuse, liquid contact, fire, earthquake or other external cause, (c) operating the Covered Equipment outside the permitted or intended uses described by the manufacturer, or (d) service (including upgrades and expansions) performed by anyone who is not a representative of Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (“AASP”)"

Screw that, apple have more than enough fat on the bone to cover this plus its perfectly legal to purchase apple care afterwards.

I say go for it but you wont be able to return it.. you could always replace it once apple care is in place and then sell it on. Small loss, but better than a big loss.

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Apple Care doesn't work that way.

Once you have purchased a product and have it in your possession, you can add Apple Care but only after visiting an Apple store for a quick Genius inspection. That's to, you know, prevent people from gaming the system like you are recommending. Hey, why not tell him to wash off all the orange juice, pack it up carefully, and sell it to some sucker on eBay, that's just as ethical.

Someone else mentioned putting in a claim under personal property coverage under homeowners insurance; that's the best option.

Why does everyone keep bringing up AppleCare? AppleCare does not cover accidental damage. AppleCare would not cover this accident.

Running the laptop under tap water was silly, but not entirely the wrong thing to do under the circumstances. The citric acid in the orange juice would have done way way more harm than tap water. With tap water, if it is dried very quickly, the device will still work. With OJ - no chance it will work. The thing that makes water bad are the salts/minerals dissolved in the water that increase how conductive it is (pure water alone is actually not very conductive), and standing water in connectors will cause corrosion and they will fail for one reason or another. So as long as the water is as pure as possible, and none is left in the laptop after all is said and done, rinsing under water isn't really so bad. The one huge caveat to that is the LCD - water will cause all sorts of damage there so when rinsing the circuit board, ensure none gets on the LCD.

Here is what the OP should have done, with the benefit of hindsight. This process might not still work, but I think it would maximize the chance of coming out of this accident with no issues.
- Immediately turn the computer over, grab the pentalobe screw driver, and open up the case to disconnect the battery. Corrupt files or lost saves be damned, just disconnect as fast as possible.
- Wash off the computer with water. Ideally, use purified and de-ionized water if you can get your hands on some quick. If not, filtered cold tap water would do. Initially dissolve maybe a drop of dawn dish soap in like 32oz of water or more, and add maybe 8oz of rubbing alcohol. Wash with that at first. Repeat until it's clean. Be very careful to not get any water on the LCD!
- Then wash/rinse again with half water and half rubbing alcohol mixture. This should hopefully wash away any of the minerals and soap in the water from the stop above, and will help the rest of the water evaporate.
- Then finally, quickly rinse with just alcohol to help any remaining water evaporate quicker and to ensure there is no residue from whatever was dissolved in the water.
- Use compressed air to blow the remaining liquid out of everywhere as much as possible.
- Leave it in a well-ventilated area to dry for at least 24 hours.

First of all, AppleCare doesn't cover accidental damage on Macs. Second, it's dishonest to buy it after the fact even if it did. Your best bet is to see if your credit card has accidental damage coverage. It might cost you a deductible, but that would be the easiest way.

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